Depth additions have helped Eagles separate from the pretenders

One thing that has separated the Eagles from the rest of the pack has been their depth.

They have suffered their share of injuries, just like every other team, and, so far, have been able to overcome them because of what is behind the starters. In a salary-cap driven league, it is not as easy as it would appear to replace quality starters with players who are capable of doing the job in an above-average fashion. It is one thing to talk about the “next-man-up philosophy,” it’s another thing to be successful implementing that motto.

Losing left tackle Tyron Smith proved to be a disaster for the Cowboys in Atlanta when his replacement was savaged for six sacks by Adrian Clayborn and the unit itself surrendered eight in the 27-7 loss. Linebacker Sean Lee is also on the shelf with a hamstring injury and, when he left the game, the Falcons ran roughshod on Dallas.

Meanwhile, the Eagles haven’t stopped bolstering that depth and have yet to lose a beat without Peters and Hicks, in particular, thanks to a front office headed by executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman.

The Eagles traded for running back Jay Ajayi at the trade deadline two weeks ago then, during their just-concluded bye week, added a pair of veterans in linebacker Dannell Ellerbe and offensive tackle Will Beatty.

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“Will has to come in here and he has to learn, just like any player,” said head coach Doug Pederson when he met with reporters on Wednesday morning. “Even Ellerbe. These guys have to learn our system first before we can fully engage them. Just like Jay Ajayi. They have to learn and show us that they are capable of understanding our schemes before we put them out there.”

For now, Isaac Seumalo will continue in his role as the primary backup to Vaitai. Beatty, though, is a good insurance policy.

“At this point, he has played games,” said Pederson. “He’s been a starter in this league. That’s valuable. He comes in and just gives us the added depth that you like to have on not only the offensive line but any position that we bring a player in for.

“Adding talent to our roster and everything, that’s what we do every single time we make a signing or a trade or personnel decision. I’ve said along, Howie’s said all along, we continue to bring in talent and add talent to our roster.”

It has made a big difference in being 8-1 or collapsing when key players go down.